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ETF-ITF lashing campaign targets Unifeeder

1 December 2016

Hundreds of dockworkers from ETF and ITF-affiliated unions will demonstrate tomorrow in front of the offices of Northern European logistics company Unifeeder in Aarhus, Denmark for allowing seafarers to lash and unlash their charted vessels. This is in direct contravention of the ITF dockers’ clause which specifically reserves lashing and unlashing work for dockers.

These are highly dangerous operations that can only be done by trained and experienced workers. Despite this, ITF inspectors have identified that Unifeeder-chartered vessels are regularly failing to hiring lashing gangs in European ports and task seafarers with this dockers’ work.

ETF/ITF Dockers’ Sections’ Vice-Chair Torben Seebold: “Unifeeder’s practices present an enormous risk for seafarers’ and maritime safety while at the same time the company jeopardises dockers’ jobs. Our earlier attempts to have a constructive dialogue with them about cargo lashing were disregarded. With this protest action we urge them to embark on a meaningful dialogue and live up to the collective bargaining agreements that stipulates this type of work is reserved for dockworkers only.”

ETF Dockers’ Section Chair Terje Samuelsen added: “Tomorrow dockers from Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland and Sweden will gather in Aarhus to voice the need to claim back lashing. We will show Unifeeder and any other company, master or officer asking seafarers to carry out dockers’ work that we are ready to increase pressure on them to adhere to the agreements they sign.”

This demonstration is part of the ETF/ITF campaign launched in May 2015 to reclaim lashing for dockworkers. Visit www.ReclaimLashing.org for more information.